Recent submissions recognized by the Chapter Recognition Committee (CRC)
View SOS Success Stories by category
Congratulations to the following chapters:
Alaska Chapter, Meeting Needs, Meeting Fears- When a Speaker Cancels
Description: This SOS describes what to do when your speaker cancels, addressing managing attendee expectations, assisting the speaker, providing sufficient content, and paving the path to the next local ASTD event.
Alaska Chapter, The Book Talk Series
Description: The Alaska Chapter scheduled a “Book Talk Series” once each quarter at a local bookstore.
Arkansas Chapter, Year End Report
Description: The Arkansas Chapter created a year-end report to convey each board area's progress and serve as a historical document that documents each of the chapter's programs for the year.
Baton Rouge Chapter, Website Launch
Description: The Baton Rouge Chapter successfully launched a new web portal to meet the needs of their membership.
Baton Rouge Chapter, Favorite Icon for Website
Description: The Baton Rouge Chapter installed an icon on their website server so that when someone saves their website as a favorite or bookmark, the shortcut to your site has the chapter logo.
Cascadia Chapter, Co-Sponsor Agreement
Description: The Cascadia Chapter's Co-Sponsor Agreement SOS outlines the roles/responsibilities and associated accountability for any programs sponsored with other organizations.
Cascadia Chapter, Internal Review
Description: The Cascadia Chapter designed internal review templates to ensures that the internal financial review process is consistent and key financial issues are addressed in a timely manner to maintain a financially sound chapter.
Cascadia Chapter, Business Interruption Plan
Description: The Cascadia Chapter business interruption plan is designed to help the board continue chapter operations in the event of the non-functionality of the business manager.
Cascadia Chapter, PodCascadia: A Chapter Podcast
Description: PodCascadia is ASTD-Cascadia Chapter's podcast. It features articles and interviews with training and development experts from the Portland, Oregon area and around the world. Produced entirely by chapter volunteers, the show comes out every two weeks.
Central Indiana Chapter, VIP (Very Involved Person) Bucks!
Description: The VIP Bucks program was developed to encourage participation in chapter events, especially participation in committees. Members can use their VIP Bucks to bid on silent auction items at events and pay for monthly programs.
Central Iowa Chapter, Chapter Budget Planning
Description: The Central Iowa Chapter developed tools to assist with both budget planning and monthly financial reporting – with both processes becoming more efficient as a result of this linkage.
Central Iowa Chapter, Maximizing Chapter Finances
Description: The Central Iowa Chapter developed a process to “put their reserve funds to work.”
Central Iowa Chapter, Event Planner Matrix
Description: The Central Iowa Chapter developed a “16-Month Event Schedule to improve alignment & coordination of chapter events by integrating event topic selection, planning, and execution across these several key chapter committees.
Central New York Chapter, Back from the Brink
Description: This SOS describes how the Central New York Chapter recovered from near disillusionment, refocused, and became relevant to its community again.
Central New York Chapter, Media Relations
Description: This SOS discusses how the Central New York Chapter developed relationships with the local media for increased marketing and awareness of the organization and the industry.
Charlotte Chapter, Day of Learning
Description: The Charlotte Chapter's Day of Learning is a one-day conference with multiple tracks and is the main event of the chapter's Employee Learning Week activities. Its purpose is to provide advanced learning practitioners with a local, high quality professional development opportunity.
Chicagoland Chapter, Redesign of Chapter HRDI Program and Alignment with ASTD Competency Model
Description: The popularity of Chicagoland Chapter’s once successful Human Resource Development Institute (HRDI) began to diminish as the materials and content became outdated. The chapter felt that the value to attendees and the training community was still high. By working with local universities, the chapter redesigned the HRDI to a Workplace Learning and Performance Institute and aligned the program with the ASTD Competency Model.
Dallas Chapter, Balanced Scorecard/Chapter Goals
Description: To fulfill the CORE requirement to have an annual plan, the Dallas Chapter established goals in categories including: customer, financial, process, and learning and growth, comprising a chapter scorecard. The goals were published in the newsletter at the beginning of the year and mid-year, and the scorecard was reviewed at each leadership meeting.
Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Eastern Pennsylvania Store
Description: The Eastern Pennsylvania store (http://www.cafepress.com/astdeasternpa) allows the chapter to offer members logo merchandise specific to their chapter. There are no upfront costs, and the chapter chooses the percentage at which to markup items, and receives a monthly check for earned revenue. The store has proven to be a great way to increase chapter pride and visibility while adding revenue to the chapter.
Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Membership Drive
Description: The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s vice president of marketing divided a list of national members in the area, and board officers invited them to a free networking event. The chapter offered a reduced membership fee ($10 off the regular fee) if the person joined the chapter the evening of the networking event and a reduced fee ($10 off the regular renewal fee) to renew chapter membership.
Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Knowledge Management
Description: The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s Knowledge Management Initiative is designed to capture, document, organize, and publish the operational policies and procedures of the chapter. Standard operating procedures for each functional area and supporting area were created as an outcome of this process.
Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Build and Maintain Your Board on Solid Foundations
Description: The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter restructured the chapter board, developing new job Descriptions, leadership development as part of a yearly action plan, and a five year strategic plan.
Emerald Coast Chapter, Attracting Speakers
Description: To attract high quality speakers on a limited budget, the Emerald Coast Chapter asked local resorts to contribute a night's stay to the speaker.
Fort Lauderdale Chapter, Champions of Learning Event
Description: For Employee Learning Week, Fort Lauderdale Chapter formed an event committee to implement their biggest event of the year, their Champions of Learning event. They marketed and solicited local companies to submit their best practices incenting them with recognition and reward. The chapter recognized all contributions at the event with a framed certificate and they selected and awarded the top three submissions with trophies. The event attracted 160 attendees and resulted in a 12 percent increase in chapter membership the following month.
Fort Lauderdale Chapter, Strategic Planning
Description: This board retreat and strategic planning event allowed the new and existing board members to build relationships and identifying goals and initatives for the coming year.
Genesee Valley Chapter, Improved visibility and recognition for ASTD in the community
Description: The Genesee Valley Chapter developed a multi-part effort to increase the visibility and recognition for ASTD in their community by linking up with four other local business associations to put on a major HR Spring Conference, drawing nationally recognized talent for a Fall Conference on Organization Development, networking with six local universities on sponsorships, joint activities, and student memberships, and increase the number of special interest groups from one to three, all within one year.
Greater Atlanta Chapter, Website Redesign
Description: Greater Atlanta’s SOS described the redesign of their chapter web site. The key to implementing Atlanta's website redesign was the process utilized to reach the desired outcome, that the website is the first point-of-contact for members and visitors, and that making a great first impression continues to be their number one priority.
Greater Birmingham Chapter, Birmingham TechMixer EXPO 2008
Description: In an effort to recruit members in the technology industry, the Greater Birmingham Chapter had a booth where their VP of communication, VP of marketing, and President provided information to technology professionals about their chapter. The chapter emphasized the importance of communication in a professional environment and how their ASTD chapter provides workshops and programs on these subjects, as well as many other that will assist them in their professional career.
Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio Chapters, Employee Learning Week
Description: The Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio chapters developed a joint effort to promote ELW, including an online forum and joint programming for chapter members. Participants received “ELW Toolkits” and gift bags from the chapters. The joint effort increased community awareness of ELW.
Greater Detroit Chapter, Chapter Scorecard
Description: Greater Detroit Chapter came up with a scorecard to address ongoing metrics of the chapter and to ease the CORE process. The scorecard was targeted to aid the board primarily in making decisions about how to run the chapter and ensure alignment with CORE requirements.
Greater Detroit Chapter, Chapter Business Office Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual
Description: The Greater Detroit Chapter contracted with a new administrative management firm. In order to provide a smooth transition for the administrative management company and chapter board members, an Administrative Process and Procedure Manual was created.
Houston Chapter, Volunteer Summit
Description: The Houston Chapter's Volunteer Summit is an annual event that helps to promote the value of the ASTD Houston Chapter through increased membership and volunteerism.
Iowa Hawkeye Chapter, Chapter Meeting Evaluation
Description: The Iowa Hawkeye Chapter created an evaluation that is used at the conclusion of every quarterly chapter meeting to receive feedback from the chapter’s members about the presenter, topic, and overall meeting itself. The feedback helps determine future meeting topics.
Kansas City Chapter, Annual Awards Banquet: Automating the Process
Description: The Kansas City Chapter created a nomination and evaluation process for the annual Best Practice Awards that can be completed entirely via the web and email distribution. Automating the process resulted in an increased number of award nominations, additional committee members volunteering to evaluate nominations, and a time savings of approximately three hours per committee member.
Las Vegas Chapter, Tribute to Learning Awards Program
Description: The Las Vegas Chapter hosts the “Tribute to Learning Awards,” an annual event that includes best practices in the Southern Nevada training and development field.
Lincoln Chapter, The Disney Keys to Excellence
Description: The Lincoln Chapter coordinated a third, community-wide, professional development opportunity stretching their boundaries to pull regional interest for the event. This resulted in an attendance of 300 professionals, with a net profit of over $25,000 for their chapter. Through this process the chapter became a benchmark for other ASTD chapters looking to bring in the Disney Keys to Excellence Program.
Lincoln Chapter, Plan. Brief. Execute. Debrief. = Win!: A Fighter Pilot's Secret to Business Success
Description: The Lincoln Chapter hosted an event entitled “Plan. Brief. Execute. Debrief. = Win!: A Fighter Pilot's Secret to Business Success” with Afterburner.
Los Angeles Chapter, Special Interest Groups and Special Divisions
Description: Los Angeles Special Interest Groups [SIGs] and Special Divisions (SDs) were created by the chapter to address a growing demand by their membership to better address their diverse needs.
Maryland Chapter, Using a Voki to Give a Voice to ASTD Maryland
Description: Each month a different board member creats a Voki which focuses on a particular topic of importance to the chapter, including upcoming conferences and ELW events. Vokis can be created for free at www.voki.com, which generates a link that the chapter can post on their website for anyone to click and listen to the message.
Metro DC Chapter, Megamixer
Description: This SOS provides information about an event where the Metro DC Chapter gathered more than 175 workplace learning and performance individuals from multiple organizations, increasing exposure, membership, and raising money.
Metro DC Chapter, Volunteer Recognition and Fundraiser
Description: This SOS discusses how the Metro DC Chapter hosted a Volunteer Recognition & Fundraising Dinner to recognize the great volunteering efforts and raise money for the Washington DC Capital Area Food Bank.
Midlands Chapter, Membership Survey
Description: The Midlands Chapter uses an electronic annual survey to find out about member satisfaction and collect data for planning chapter meetings and events. The chapter received a 60 percent response rate in 2007. To incent members, they place participants’ names in a drawing for a prize.
Midlands Chapter, Admit One Guest Pass
Description: The Midlands Chapter posted a “guest pass” on their website for prospective members to attend a free meeting. After meetings, the chapter follows up with prospects that use the passes and has experienced a 38 percent conversion rate of pass users becoming members.
Midlands Chapter, Formal Approach to a Geographic Interest Group (GIG) partnership
Description: The Midlands Chapter formed a GIG partnership with Low Country (Charleston, South Carolina area) to reach out to members who previously did not derive benefit from their local and/or national membership due to distance. The chapter’s vision is to provide local chapter benefits to their GIG until such time as they have sufficient membership to form their own ASTD chapter.
Midlands Chapter, Website Creation
Description: The ASTD Carolinas Chapter split into two in 2005, and the newly formed Midlands (SC) Chapter identified a need for an up-to-date website. Chapter board members networked with contacts from within and outside the chapter, hired a company, and worked with the vendor to make the chapter website an effective communication tool for the chapter's membership.
Mid-New Jersey Chapter, Sales Training PDN 2009 Business Plan
Description: The Mid-New Jersey Chapter developed a set of goals and a structured plan of action for the Mid-NJ Sales Training Professional Development Network (a.k.a. SIG).
Mid-New Jersey Chapter, Chapter Program Communication Process
Description: The Mid-New Jersey Chapter created a Chapter Program Communication Process to enable its programming, communications, and program registration teams to work more effectively together in communicating upcoming program information to the chapter’s membership.
Nebraska Chapter, ASTD Nebraska Mentoring Program
Description: The Nebraska Chapter mentoring program is a structured, yet informal, voluntary program offered to members of ASTD Nebraska. Members have the opportunity to partner with another ASTD member with years of experience in training and development and are supported and guided through their mentor relationship by qualified program coordinators
Nebraska Chapter, Comprehensive Support System for the CPLP
Description: The Nebraska Chapter developed a CPLP Support Program to help relieve member stress during the certification process. The CPLP Support Program has become a one-stop shop for all information related to certification and re-certification for members. The program offers a new incentive for chapter and national membership, and fresh opportunities for member involvement.
Nebraska Chapter, Programs- Request for Proposal
Description: The Nebraska Chapter strategically plans programs in advance with content that matches the ASTD competencies and as a result, gained credible speakers.
Nebraska Chapter, Running it Like a Business
Description: ASTD is no longer just a training organization, but a business that strategically supports workplace learning across the globe. In this SOS, ASTD Nebraska describes how they spent the last three years developing strategic goals, realigning for financial commitment, and tapping into their volunteer base through long-term strategic planning to be able to provide a stronger organization.
Nebraska Chapter, Red Carpet Affair: A PR and Recognition Event
Description: This SOS describes how ASTD Nebraska celebrates its 50th anniversary with an Award’s Banquet that honors their past, recognizes their present, and looks toward their future.
New Orleans Chapter, Membership Drive
Description: The New Orleans Chapter's board was committed to increasing the membership. They implemented a program where each national ASTD member that attended their monthly meeting was entered into a drawing for a 1 year membership.
Northern New Jersey Chapter, External Communication & Internal Calendar
Description: The Northern New Jersey Chapter bundled the communication/marketing efforts to avoid confusion, add structure, eliminate excessive messaging, and coordinate the activities of the chapter.
North Louisiana Chapter, Management Insights Program
Description: The North Louisiana Chapter developed the “Management Insights Program” to increase the awareness of ASTD and its mission in their business community and to grow their chapter membership.
Puget Sound Chapter, Membership Drive
Description: The Puget Sound Chapter held a “Membership Madness” campaign that involved offering discounted memberships to non-members at their “Future of Training Conference”and at a chapter meeting, at which they had a “Bring a Guest” promotion.
Puget Sound Chapter, Future of Training Conference
Description: The Puget Sound Chapter held a day-long conference focusing on emerging problems and solutions in the training field, attracting 152 attendees and speakers.
River Cities Chapter, Chapter on the Rise
Description: In December of 2008, the entire board of directors for River Cities Chapter changed. During a time of continuing decline in local ASTD participation, a new management team was born. Since then, meeting space was donated, time and resources for web development was volunteered, and personal donations were made to get the chapter up and running again. Membership has increased and program attendance is increasing each month.
San Antonio Chapter, Organizer for eLearning Lunch and Learn
Description: The San Antonio Chapter's eLearning Lunch & Learn programs provide a forum for learning and sharing knowledge of the use of technology in education and training.
San Antonio Chapter, Organization of the Year Award
Description: The San Antonio Chapter developed an “Organization of the Year” Award to recognize local organizations that have at least one employee who is a member of the local chapter.
San Diego Chapter, Strategic Planning and Transitioning
Description: The San Diego chapter’s submission provides tools used for developing a solid strategic plan using the chapter’s planning model.
South Central Wisconsin Chapter, ASTD-SCWC Extreme Makeover: Using Appreciative Inquiry for Strategic Planning
Description: The South Central Wisconsin Chapter developed a strategic planning effort that used appreciative inquiry to engage all members in planning future programs and services. Appreciative inquiry uses dialogue about positive past experiences in order to build wishes for the future, rather than focusing on problems that need to be solved. As a result, it is an extremely energizing process.
Southeast Wisconsin Chapter, GoTo Guide – The place to go for training resources
Description: The Southeast Wisconsin Chapter created an on-line resource on their website to host a “one stop shop” for members of the chapter and the community to access when training resources are needed.
Springfield/Branson Chapter, Business Cards
Description: The chapter added meeting information (time, location, map, web URL) to back of chapter leadership business cards. On front of card, they added "Attend one meeting free with this card."
Twin Cities Chapter, Season Pass-Membership Retention
Description: The Twin Cities Chapter developed a season pass to offer members a discounted rate on the cost of attending monthly programs, a one-time payment option, and program registration ease. The chapter goal was to gain membership commitment, retention, and a value added opportunity for consistent monthly program attendees.